REG CHARITY NO. 1005195
Early years prospectus
Setting name
Warren Playgroup
Address
Church House,Church Lane, HENFIELD. West Sussex. BN5 9NY.
Tel No.
01273 495076 / 07535 025162
Email [email protected]
Our setting aims to:

provide high quality care and education for children below statutory school age;

work in partnership with parents to help children to learn and develop;

add to the life and well-being of the local community; and

offer children and their parents a service that promotes equality and values diversity.
Parents
Parents are regarded as members of our setting who have full participatory rights. These include a
right to be:

valued and respected;

kept informed;

consulted;

involved; and

included at all levels.
We aim to ensure that each child:

is in a safe and stimulating environment;

is given generous care and attention, because of our ratio of qualified staff to children.

has the chance to join with other children and adults to live, play, work and learn together;

is helped to take forward her/his learning and development by being helped to build on what
she/he already knows and can do;

has a personal key person who makes sure each child makes satisfying progress;

is in a setting that sees parents as partners in helping each child to learn and develop; and

is in a setting in which parents help to shape the service it offers.
Children's development and learning
The provision for children's development and learning is guided by The Early Years Foundation
Stage (DCFS 2007). From September 2008 the Early Years Foundation Stage became law. This
brings together Birth to Three Matters and the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage.
Our provision reflects the four key themes and 16 commitments of the Early Years Foundation
Stage.
A Unique Child
Child Development: Skilful communicator, competent learner.
Inclusive Practice: Equality and diversity, children’s entitlements, early support.
Keeping Safe: Being safe and protected, discovering boundaries, making choices.
Health and Well-being: Growth and developing, physical and emotional wellbeing.
Positive Relationships
Respecting Each Other: Understanding feelings, friendship, professional relationships.
Parents as Partners: Respecting diversity, communication, learning together.
Supporting Learning: Positive interactions, listening to children, effective teaching.
Key Person: Secure attachment, shared care, independence.
Enabling Environments
Observation, Assessment and Planning: Starting with the child, planning, assessment.
Supporting Every Child: Children’s needs, the learning journey, working together.
The Learning Environment: The emotional environment, the outdoor environment, the indoor
environment.
The Wider Context: Transitions and continuity, multi-agency working, the community.
Learning and Development
Play and Exploration: Learning through experience, adult involvement, contexts for learning.
Active Learning: Mental and physical involvement, decision making, personalised learning.
Creativity and Physical Thinking: Making connections, transforming and understanding,
sustained shared thinking.
Areas of Development and Learning.
How we provide for development and learning
Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born. The care and
education offered by our setting helps children to continue to do this by providing all of the children
with interesting activities that are appropriate for their age and stage of development.
The Areas of Development and Learning comprise:

personal, social and emotional development;

communication, language and literacy development;

problem solving, reasoning and numeracy;

knowledge and understanding of the world;

physical development; and

creative development.
For each area, the practice guidance sets out the Early Learning Goals. These goals state what it
is expected that children will know and be able to do by the end of the reception year of their
education.
The practice guidance also sets out in ‘Development Matters’ the likely stages of progress a child
makes along their learning journey towards the early learning goals. Our setting has regard to
these matters when we assess children and plan for their learning.
Personal, social and emotional development
Our programme supports children to develop:

positive approaches to learning and finding out about the world around them;

confidence in themselves and their ability to do things, and valuing their own achievements;

their ability to get on, work and make friendships with other people, both children and adults;

their awareness of, and being able to keep to, the rules which we all need to help us to look
after ourselves, other people and our environment;

their ability to dress and undress themselves, and look after their personal hygiene needs; and

their ability to expect to have their ways of doing things respected and to respect other
people's ways of doing things.
Communication, language and literacy
Our programme supports children to develop:

conversational skills with one other person, in small groups and in large groups to talk with and
listen to others;

their vocabulary by learning the meaning of - and being able to use - new words;

their ability to use words to describe their experiences;

their knowledge of the sounds and letters that make up the words we use;

their ability to listen to, and talk about, stories;

knowledge of how to handle books and that they can be a source of stories and information;

knowledge of the purposes for which we use writing; and

making their own attempts at writing.
Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
Our programme supports children to develop:

understanding and ideas about how many, how much, how far and how big;

understanding and ideas about patterns, the shape of objects and parts of objects, and the
amount of space taken up by objects;

understanding that numbers help us to answer questions about how many, how much, how far
and how big;

understanding and ideas about how to use counting to find out how many; and

early ideas about the result of adding more or taking away from the amount we already have.
Knowledge and understanding of the world
Our programme supports children to develop:

knowledge about the natural world and how it works;
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knowledge about the made world and how it works;

their learning about how to choose, and use, the right tool for a task;

their learning about computers, how to use them and what they can help us to do;

their skills on how to put together ideas about past and present and the links between them;

their learning about their locality and its special features; and

their learning about their own and other cultures.
Physical development
Our programme supports children to develop:

increasing control over the large movements that they can make with their arms, legs and
bodies, so that they can run, jump, hop, skip, roll, climb, balance and lift;

increasing control over the small movements they can make with their arms, wrists and hands,
so that they can pick up and use objects, tools and materials; and

their understanding about the importance of, and how to look after, their bodies.
Creative development
Our programme supports children to develop:

the use of paint, materials, music, dance, words, stories and role-play to express their ideas
and feelings; and

their interest in the way that paint, materials, music, dance, words, stories and role-play can be
used to express ideas and feelings.
Our approach to learning and development and assessment
Learning through play
Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, which research has
shown to be the means by which young children learn to think. Our setting uses the practice
guidance Early Years Foundation Stage to plan and provide a range of play activities which help
children to make progress in each of the areas of learning and development. In some of these
activities children decide how they will use the activity and, in others, an adult takes the lead in
helping the children to take part in the activity. In all activities information from the practice
guidance to the Early Years Foundation Stage has been used to decide what equipment to provide
and how to provide it.
Assessment
We assess how young children are learning and developing by observing them frequently. We use
information that we gain from observations, as well as from photographs or videos of the children,
to document their progress and where this may be leading them. We believe that parents know
their children best and we ask them to contribute to assessment by sharing information about what
their children like to do at home and how they as parents are supporting development.
We make periodic assessment summaries of children’s achievement based on our ongoing
development records. These form part of children’s records of achievement. We undertake these
assessment summaries at regular intervals as well as times of transition, such as when a child
moves into a different group or when they go on to school.
Records of achievement
The setting keeps a record of achievement for each child. Staff and parents working together on
their children's records of achievement is one of the ways in which the key person and parents
work in partnership. Your child's record of achievement helps us to celebrate together her/his
achievements and to work together to provide what your child needs for her/his well-being and to
make progress.
Your child's key person will work with you to keep this record. To do this you and she/he will collect
information about your child's needs, activities, interests and achievements. This information will
enable the key person to identify your child's stage of progress. You and the key person will then
decide on how to help your child to move on to the next stage.
Working together for your children
In our setting we maintain the ratio of adults to children in the setting that is set through the
Welfare Requirements. We also have volunteer parent helpers rota. This helps us to:

give time and attention to each child;

talk with the children about their interests and activities;

help children to experience and benefit from the activities we provide; and

allow the children to explore and be adventurous in safety.
The staff who work at our setting are:
Name
Job Title
Qualifications and Experience
Lesley Bailey
Manager
NVQ level 3. First Aid, Working at
Warren since 1995.
Jane Preston
Deputy Manager
NVQ level 3. First Aid, Working
at Warren since January 2003
Karen Claridge
Supervisor
NVQ level 3. First Aid, Working
at Warren since January 2009
Cara Turner
Assistant
NVQ level 3. First Aid, Working
at Warren since April 2013
Fran Holloway
Relief assistant
Working at Warren since
September 07.
Paula Denhart
Assistant
NNEB. Working at Warren since
Septembr 2014.
Sally Allison
Assistant
Working at Warren since
September 2014.
We are open for
Term time - 38
We are closed
weekends/bank holidays –
weeks each year.
West Sussex school holidays
We are open for
5
The times we are open are
9.30am – 3pm Mon/Tues/Wed
days each week
& 9.30 am – 1pm Thur/Friday
We provide care and education for young children between the ages of
and
Under 5
2
years.
How parents take part in the setting
Our setting recognises parents as the first and most important educators of their children. All of
the staff see themselves as partners with parents in providing care and education for their child.
There are many ways in which parents take part in making the setting a welcoming and stimulating
place for children and parents, such as:

exchanging knowledge about their children’s needs, activities, interests and progress with the
staff;

helping at sessions of the setting;

sharing their own special interests with the children;

helping to provide, make and look after the equipment and materials used in the children’s play
activities;

being part of the management of the setting;

taking part in events and informal discussions about the activities and curriculum provided by
the setting;

joining in community activities in which the setting takes part; and

building friendships with other parents in the setting.
The parents’ rota
The setting has a dated rota which parents can sign if they would like to help at a particular
session or sessions of the setting. Helping at the session enables parents to see what the day-today life of the setting is like and to join in helping the children to get the best out of their activities.
Joining in
Joining the rota is not the only means of taking part in the life of the setting. Parents can offer to
take part in a session by sharing their own interests and skills with the children. Parents have
visited the setting to play a musical instrument for the children, Celebrate Chinese New year and
show the children their pets.
We welcome parents to drop into the setting to see it at work or to speak with the staff.
Key persons and your child
Our setting uses a key person approach. This means that each member of staff has a group of
children for whom she/he is particularly responsible. Your child’s key person will be the person
who works with you to make sure that what we provide is right for your child’s particular needs and
interests. When your child first starts at the setting, she/he will help your child to settle and
throughout your child’s time at the setting, she/he will help your child to benefit from the setting’s
activities.
Learning opportunities for adults
As well as gaining qualifications in early years care and education, the setting staffs take part in
further training to help them to keep up-to-date with thinking about early years care and education.
The setting also keeps itself up-to-date with best practice in early years care and education,
The setting’s timetable and routines
Our setting believes that care and education are equally important in the experience which we
offer children. The routines and activities that make up the day in the setting are provided in ways
that:

help each child to feel that she/he is a valued member of the setting;

ensure the safety of each child;

help children to gain from the social experience of being part of a group; and

provide children with opportunities to learn and help them to value learning.
The session*
We organise our sessions so that the children can choose from, and work at, a range of activities
and, in doing so, build up their ability to select and work through a task to its completion. The
children are also helped and encouraged to take part in adult-led small and large group activities
which introduce them to new experiences and help them to gain new skills, as well as helping
them to learn to work with others.
Outdoor activities contribute to children’s health, their physical development and their knowledge
of the world around them. The children have the opportunity, and are encouraged, to take part in
outdoor child-chosen and adult-led activities, as well as those provided in the indoor area.
OR
The day*
The setting organises the day so that children can take part in a variety of child-chosen and adultled activities. These take account of children’s changing energy levels throughout the day. The
setting caters for children’s individual needs and quiet activities during the day. Outdoor activities
contribute to children’s health, their physical development and their knowledge of the world around
them.
Snacks
The setting makes snacks and meals a social time at which children and adults eat together. We
ask the parents to bring in fruit/vegetables in for snack time so that we provide the children with
healthy and nutritious food. Do tell us about your child’s dietary needs and we will make sure that
these are met.
Policies
Copies of the setting’s policies and procedures are available for you to see at the setting.
The setting’s policies help us to make sure that the service provided by the setting is a high quality
one and that being a member of the setting is an enjoyable and beneficial experience for each
child and her/his parents.
The staff and parents of the setting work together to adopt the policies and they all have the
opportunity to take part in the annual review of the policies. This review helps us to make sure that
the policies are enabling the setting to provide a quality service for its members and the local
community.
Safeguarding children
Our setting has a duty under the law to help safeguard children against suspected or actual
‘significant harm’.
Our employment practices ensure children against the likelihood of abuse in our settings and we
have a procedure for managing complaints or allegations against a member of staff.
Our way of working with children and their parents ensures we are aware of any problems that
may emerge and can offer support, including referral to appropriate agencies when necessary, to
help families in difficulty.
Special needs
As part of the setting’s policy to make sure that its provision meets the needs of each individual
child, we take account of any special needs a child may have. The setting works to the
requirements of the 1993 Education Act and The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice
(2001).
Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator is
Lesley Bailey & Jane Preston
The management of our setting
A parent management committee – whose members are elected by the parents of the children
who attend the setting – manages the setting. The elections take place at our Annual General
Meeting. The committee is responsible for:

managing the setting’s finances;

employing and managing the staff;

making sure that the setting has, and works to, policies that help it to provide a high quality
service; and

making sure that the setting works in partnership with the children’s parents.
The Annual General Meeting is open to the parents of all of the children who attend the setting. It
is our shared forum for looking back over the previous year’s activities and shaping the coming
year's plan.
OR
The setting is governed by
Romany Playdon(Chairperson)
The setting is committee run. The committee is made up of parents.
Fees
The fees are £13.20 per session from 9.30am – 1pm and £20.74 per session from 9.30am – 3pm.
payable half-termly in advance, either by cash/cheque/bacs. Fees must still be paid if children are
absent. Arrangements can be made to pay fees daily/weekly please speak to Lesley Bailey
(Manager) to arrange.
For your child to keep her/his place at the setting, you must pay the fees. We are in receipt of
nursery education funding for three and four year olds; where funding is not received, then fees
apply. If your child stays for any additional hours outside the nursery education funding an hourly
rate applies.
Starting at our setting
The first days
We want your child to feel happy and safe with us. To make sure that this is the case, the staff will
work with you to decide on how to help your child to settle into the setting. The setting has a policy
about helping children to settle into the setting:
Clothing
We provide protective clothing for the children when they play with messy activities.
We encourage children to gain the skills that help them to be independent and look after
themselves. Clothing that is easy for them to manage will help them to do this.
We hope that you and your child enjoy being members of our setting and that you both find taking
part in our activities interesting and stimulating. The staff are always ready and willing to talk with
you about your ideas, views or questions.
This policy was adopted at a meeting of
Warren Playgroup
name of setting
Held on
Updated 03.09.15
(date)
Date to be reviewed
1 year
(date)
Signed on behalf of the management
committee
Name of signatory
Alex Fenn
Role of signatory (e.g. chair/owner)
Chairperson